Hey... transfem and suffering from facial hair I can't seem to be able to get rid of much. As you can imagine, it causes much suffering. Currently going through laser hair removal and even after my 3rd session it doesn't seem to be doing much if anything. White with black hair. I'm horrified laser may not be working well, have no idea how long it should really take to start noticing in the first place, and well... Was hoping for some help. I've always been bad at shaving (as much as I do regularly... 1-2 times per day)... Hoping I can at least get temporary solace in clearing my face in ways different than I already do (electric razor, Baun brand, with no shaving cream or anything... Attempts to use safety razors like I use for full-body shaving have been extremely futile and I feel like I'm gonna cut myself each time I try so I haven't tried much...) If anyone has advice... Please.

As an aside, tips for quicker full-body shaving than safety razors and soap weekly (or more if I truly want to feel fine... But that's too much given it takes 2 hours this way and idk what to do) also appreciates.

Thanks to anyone able to offer advice...

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[–] 17 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 child)

Lasering facial hair will take you a good number of sessions, and you'll still need to go back for touch-ups/follow-ups. I initially had a full 6 sessions, and while they helped soooo much, I had to get a few more after for some stubborn areas. Even with all of my sessions, I still have hairs I have to shave/trim every morning. It's waaay less work, and is good enough for me to not feel too much dysphoria over. I didn't really notice major changes until the end of my initial course.

Ideally, once you've completed your laser course, I'd recommend finding a place for electrolysis; that's the only guaranteed way to fully keep hairs from coming back. They'll be able to get any remaining hairs and the ones that may eventually come back after/if your follicles repair. Laser is unfortunately not guaranteed permanent, but it is a quicker way to clear hairs.

For body - I also had a few sessions for my lower arms, upper and lower legs, and my armpits. Sooo recommend. I've paid for a few more sessions of each, but just haven't gotten around to them; however, it's still sooo much less work maintaining! Everything grows back slowly, thin, and sparse (I was quite hairy before 😅).

Razor/trimmer recommendation: Philips Norelco OneBlade 🌟 I loooove it so much! It gets a super close trim, is incredibly easy and forgiving, and can be used anywhere. I started with their cheap base model, but eventually upgraded to the Pro 360 model with the led screen that displays the remaining battery. The heads last quite awhile, can be used across models, and they have sensitive skin ones with a guard for areas that might need more TLC (armpits, bikini area, etc). It completely changed my relationship with hair maintenance. It can be used on dry skin, but I recommend cleaning your skin with warm water and using a shaving oil/cream. I super like Billie Whipped Shave Cream; I prefer their sensitive skin one that's fragrance free as my skin can be a bit sensitive.

Additional thoughts:

  • If you're prone to ingrown hairs, I recommend applying glycolic acid to your dry, clean, post-shaven skin. I would honestly recommend using it a few times a week regardless, as it removes dead skin and clears clogged pores. You can get a biiiig bottle of The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Exfoliating Toner for super cheap. Transfer some to a little spray bottle and spritz it over your skin. Use your hands to spread and gently work it in. Make sure to apply a lotion/moisturizer after it dries!

  • Before lasering my body hair, I used VEET hair removal cream a few times. It worked incredibly well, but you need to follow the instructions. It can be super harsh on your skin if you leave it on too long (chemical burns). Work in areas and not all over at once. I never had any issues, but I'm sure you'll see reviews with people who did (that didn't follow the instructions). I wouldn't recommend it if you do plan on lasering since you'll need to wait a few weeks for everything to grow back.

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  • [–] [S] 2 points 2 weeks ago

    Omg thank you so much. Sorry for the late response, I've been having a time and coming back to this post makes me too aware... ;-;

    Saving this for later when I have more than a couple dollars in the bank... struggling with food rn. Desperately need to find some kind of income source that doesn't make everything worse so I can keep affording HRT and literally anything to make my situation better... thinking of selling an expensive laptop and replacing it with a 4GB RAM ROC Libre Computer... I mostly use said laptop for a web browser plugged into a TV, so I think it'll work well? Only thing is I lose years of stickerbombing the thing... D:.

    VEET sounds amazingly nice, I'm gonna look into that right now. Chemical burns sounds bad though... I have pretty sensitive skin... currently struggling with minor folliculitis all over my legs and shoulders (worst fucking spots for fashion, fml). I plan to laser my body, but rn "wait a few weeks for everything to grow back" sounds like the best - currently shaving my body with razors and it lasts less than a week... and not like I can afford more laser rn anyways. Worried about electrolysis afterwards, because of my current financial struggle too, but that's the plan...

    Thank you so much Vibi, you're truly wonderful and amazingly helpful... I only wish I could follow this NOW. ugh... will do ASAP for sure though! Thanks!

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  • [–] 9 points 1 month ago

    It takes a while. My facial hair is pretty deeply rooted, so laser wasn't especially effective. I did electrolysis for about 6 months, but even that only gets what is currently growing. Your hair goes through cycles. I have been using at-home IPL to continue to clear the thicker stuff for a while, but there's still that blue skin shade. I do plan to eventually do another round or two of electrolysis.

    But I use a color corrector under concealer and foundation to cover it when I put on makeup.

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  • Laser will do it eventually but ist usually more like 8 sessions when the difference starts to be seen

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  • [–] 5 points 1 month ago (2 children)

    As others have noted electrolysis is the gold standard. It's pricey though, I paid $100/hr and the tech told me it would take about 60-100 hours to get rid of all my facial hair. I ended up having to stop because my life situation changed, but it worked extremely well. Before that I got laser, which was also expensive, but faster and less painful. One note about laser though, it will not get any hairs lighter than medium brown. If your hair is blonde, light brown, red, or white it won't get those hairs at all. Both are extremely painful though. Laser felt like getting every sunburn I'd ever gotten in my entire life all at once and electrolysis could be used to torture prisoners for information. Getting a numbing cream from your doctor can make the difference between having to stop mid session to cry and finishing.

    One thing I didn't see anyone mention though is orange concealer. No matter your hair color facial hair has a blue undertone so the orange will neutralize the color so your foundation can cover it more. You don't even need a full coverage foundation either, a partial coverage foundation blended well will make the shadow invisible.

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  • [–] [S] 2 points 2 weeks ago

    Didn't think of a numbing cream! I'll look into it ASAP, I keep going and the laser technician needs to turn it down every time to get through the full session... thank you so much! I've always felt cursed with black hair that's visible even when shaved, but knowing that in the long run it'll be better for laser at least, I have hope. I had heard about orange concealer, but never the "why" - thank you loads! <3

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  • [–] 5 points 1 month ago

    There are tutorials on YouTube for covering shadow with makeup, which worked for me for the most part. Stick with the laser, although electrolysis is the better treatment option, if finances are not a concern for you.

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  • [–] 5 points 1 month ago (4 children)

    Just a baby trans here so not much advice first hand, but I know another transfem (no name for safety reasons) that was in a similar position to you and they have gotten laser and it worked well for them, 3rd session sounds a little early to be worrying about results yet but I wouldn't know all that well. Once you have done most of the laser treatment, you can try looking at electrolysis (if you can afford it) which should kill the hair growth completely, but I've heard that it can be painful and cause irritation.

    As for me, I'm only about half as bad by the sounds of it (shave evrry 1-2 days) but makeup seems to work pretty well for temporary release, that and focusing on the prettier aspects of myself in hopes I can get laser one day.

    Sorry I'm not of much help, but I hope the laser works out for you <3

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  • [–] [S] 1 point 2 weeks ago (3 children)

    Thank you so much Azalea, your comment made me realize just how stupid I was about the paperwork full of warnings for during laser... I can use makeup while undergoing it. :D

    Thank you so much! <3

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  • [–] 1 point 2 weeks ago (2 children)

    Sorry is there sarcasm in this? I can't really tell.

    I don't think I explicitly said to wear makeup during laser, I was just giving separate advice. Sorry.

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  • [–] [S] 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 child)

    SORRY. No, no sarcasm. Genuinely thankful and feeling stupid as I have paperwork literally telling me it's fine and I read it as it wasn't fine because I didn't read closely enough. THANK YOU A TON

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  • [–] 4 points 1 month ago

    for me I shave with a Harry's razor and cover up with concealer/foundation, usually good till around 7pm (I shave at 6am). i plan to get electrolysis some day tho, its done wonders for my girlfriend

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  • [–] 4 points 1 month ago

    I've been trying to get rid of my own facial hair, and after several months of laser removal, it still grows, although far less slowly than it used to. I can sometimes get away with not shaving for a day.

    I wish I could afford Electrolytic hair removal, but sadly it's expensive and insurance no longer covers any gender affirming care except viagra.

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  • I've been doing 2 hour sessions of electrolysis every month since June 2025. I'm now finally seeing more noticeable results. It, unfortunately, just takes a long time and persistence. Facial hair is thick and wirey and notoriously resilient. Laser and electrolysis sessions have to be consistent as to treat as many follicles as possible that are in their new growth phase.

    It's a dysphoria that I mostly just try to live with and understand that it'll reduce over time. I have a pretty new throat tattoo so that helps mask the color gradient caused by facial hair shadow on my neck. I mostly just try to shave as close as I can using tge shaving attachment of my Braun epilator, followed by a normal men's electric razor, and finally dry shaving prominent areas like my chin or upper lip. If I put makeup on, I use a peach color corrector (since I'm white) under foundation and concealer.

    I love my electrologist and I'm glad that I'm finally seeing results and that they'll be permanent. But I would probably opt for laser if I had to do it over again.

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  • [–] 2 points 4 weeks ago

    Permanent hair removal takes time. Be patient. You are making progress. Hair has growth cycles, and you can only treat the ones actively growing. After a month a new set of follicles will start growing, and all the hairs you treated reach the point they would have stopped growing on their own. Changes won't be visible for a while. You'll get there.

    Shave as close as you can and then use makeup. That's what I've found worked best. I have a concealer that's a bit lighter and redder than my skin, and I put that over the whole beard area. Then foundation all over the face and a bit of powder to keep it in place. I don't like makeup, but this helps the shadow.

    Shaving is limited in it's effectiveness on the face. I have gotten a professional straight razor shave. Smeone who really knew what they were doing applied a bunch of special skin treatments to make sure the skin was in the ideal state, then used surgical precision to shave the hairs as precisely as possible. It was a very relaxing experience, it felt great not having to do it myself for once, and it was by far the best shave I have ever had. But still disappointing. The beard was still clearly there.

    Don't worry a lot about shaving technique. The best possible shave is only marginally better. You need something stronger, and you're in the process of getting it!

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